Trump's lawyer says Stormy Daniels violated confidentiality agreement 20 times
An attorney for President Trump said in a court filing Friday that adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, who also goes by Stormy Daniels, had violated a confidentiality agreement 20 times. Under the terms of the agreement with Mr. Trump's personal attorney in October 2016, she has to pay $1 million per violation.
The court papers claim that Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump's personal attorney, has the right to claim $20 million in damages from Clifford. A lawyer for Cohen's shell company filed the papers in federal court Friday.
Cohen paid $130,000 to Clifford in the waning days of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair between her and Mr. Trump in 2006 and 2007. Clifford claims the pact is invalid because Mr. Trump didn't provide his signature, and she has filed a lawsuit to be released from the agreement.
Cohen has claimed he paid Clifford out of his own pocket and Mr. Trump did not know about it.
Clifford's lawyer, Michael Avenatti, called the claims for $20 million "bogus" in a tweet Friday.
How can President Donald Trump seek $20 million in damages against my client based on an agreement that he and Mr. Cohen claim Mr. Trump never was a party to and knew nothing about? #notwellthoughtout #sloppy #checkmate
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 17, 2018
Avenatti said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday that someone physically threatened his client — but he declined to reveal who allegedly threatened her.
Earlier this week, Clifford said she would repay Cohen the $130,000 in exchange for breaking her silence.
The White House has denied any alleged affair between Clifford and Mr. Trump.
A "60 Minutes" interview with Clifford is in the works, CBS News president David Rhodes confirmed Tuesday. Rhodes said the segment will air soon, despite reports of legal threats from Mr. Trump's lawyer.
The court papers filed Friday also seek to move the case to federal court.